typically this is where i would say that i was a nervous wreck getting in the water because i am not a strong swimmer. the thing is, i'm still not that strong of a swimmer, but i've been putting so much more time in that i'm a more comfortable swimmer, so i wasn't afraid of the start. that made me happy. there was nothing really special about this swim start. my wave was the second to last wave to go off and it was 34 and under women so there were a bunch of us. there was the usual contact at the beginning, as everyone is scrambling to get going, but nothing too crazy. after the first probably 200 meters, i found a groove and just started swimming. i was on the outside (right) of the buoys until the first turn and then i went to the inside because i sight right and wanted to sight off of them and the other swimmers. this worked perfect for me. i was alone, (i know fleeb, i should be finding someone to draft off of :) ) but i was ok with that as i was comfortable and feeling great in the water. i took it one bouy at a time and before i knew it, it was time to make the final left turn into the swim finish. loved it! still not fast...but i was comfortable and that was the goal. plus, there's some murmers going on that the swim course was a bit long so i'm going to bank on that and say my time really wasn't as poor as it shows. :)



nothing. goal was to be comfortable and swim my swim. did that. some would argue that it's a race, you're not supposed to be comfortable, however, i really just wanted to get through this whole thing...so i did...comfortably. :) and i liked it.

i remember a picture from last year when jenny had just gotten her wetsuit stripped, she saw us cheering on the sideline and gave a HUGE smile and a HUGE wave to my dad and me. it made me so happy to know she was so happy to be done with the swim and ready to ride her bike. i wanted to be that happy this year. so when i heard/saw todd and jenny by the fence, i gave the same huge smile and huge wave to show them that i was so happy to be finished with the first leg of this race. to have them waiting for me to exit was one of the coolest feelings. loved it.

as i ran by them with my suit in hand, i got into t1 and suddenly felt a little light headed. it was strange. figured my hr was too high, so i walked to my bike, took my time getting my helmet/sunglasses/shoes on and was off. felt perfectly fine then, i guess i just needed a moment or two to regain composure. who knows.

i was also VERY pleased to see that there were still a number of bikes left racked on my row. i thought for sure i was going to be the lonely bike left, but all were there except maybe 2 or 3. same with the row right next to me. this pleased me very much.

nothing. am pleased with results.

i love my bike. i love my bike with the 808's my big brother let me borrow. i love to ride my bike. so that's what i did. i rode. goal was to break 3:00. accomplished! here's the thing, i'm a poor runner whether i ride my bike hard or save my legs. so figured, why not just ride my bike. so i did. and i loved each moment of it. i passed a LOT of people and loved it. i got passed too, but it was minimal compared to the passing i was doing. i loved it. love love loved it.

it was a bit breezy (understatement) but the nice part is the wind didn't really pick up too bad until i was on the run course. that again, made the bike that much more enjoyable. felt like there was a slight tail wind on the way back too, which will always make me smile. i loved it...can you tell? :)

i saw craig on the way out. he was looping and i saw him as i was coming up to the turn, but he didn't see me and i knew it was just a matter of moments before he passed me...so that was fun to wait for. then sure enough, he comes flying by and we chatted it up for a moment before he was off. that was great to see him...he looked great and he was flying. very cool.

at mile 5, i went to put my infinit bottle back into my down tube and i dropped it. stupid jen. so i stopped to get it. lost a minute or two doing this. two notable notes on this. 1. the mavic support car was there immediately to help. it was hysterical. i waved them off, telling them i was only there to grab my bottle, but the fact that they bee lined to me the minute they saw me off my bike was awesome. they were everywhere on that course. it was cool. 2. i would've had an average in the 20's had i not lost my bottle. :( 19.9 is not disappointing...until i realize i stopped to get my bottle. ha. oh well!

not drop my bottle of infinit and lose 2 minutes. :) otherwise, nothing. i love my bike.

nothing special here. got all of my stuff together and was off. i walked out of t2 to get my hr in check. was all in all pretty good. didn't break any land speed records, but i'm not displeased.

zilch

goal: run comfortably. finish. not hate the run.

accomplished! again, i know it's a race, you should push yourself and not feel comfortable, but this was my first HIM and i needed to feel comfortable so i wouldn't hate it. and guess what? i didn't hate it. i ran at a pace that i was happy. where my legs didn't hate me, my heart didn't hate me and i wasn't hating the last leg of this race. it was great. i walked the aid stations and grabbed water and alternated between cola/gatoraid. i had gu's with me, but i could not fathom the thought of gu for some reason. so i improvised and it worked wonders. loved it. never bonked. at two different points, i ate a couple of orange slices too, but other than that, it was gatoraid/cola combined with water.

saw craig once on the course...we high fived. that was great. he looked strong. saw murphy twice. got the "what up" head nod from him. was fun to see them on the course. also, was starting my 3rd lap of 4 when i heard both craig and murphy's name announced for finishing. thought that was cool that i got to hear that. would've been cooler if i was on my 4th lap...hahaha. cool part though was at the start of my 4th lap, i saw craig and when i looped around, we walked a little together. always so helpful to have support out there. loved it.

also...BEST part, hands down, of the run was having the BEST brother and sister in law in the world out there cheering me on. they were EVERYWHERE on that run course. i loved it. in fact, they were popping up all over that i was conscience not to walk too far away from aid stations in case they were lingering. :) it was such a HUGE support knowing that i'd see them so often that it made it so much easier. i LOVED it guys. thank you a million times over.

run faster...if it was comfortable for me. hahaha. nothing. really, i'm pleased overall at how this all turned out. would i have liked to see a faster run time? of course, but am i pleased with this result? heck yes!

HUGE hugs from craig. HUGE hugs from todd and jenny. did not need medical, yeah me! went into the food tent, got something to nibble on and stood around chatting about my experience, craigs experience and todd and jenny's spectating experience. was fun!


my self. i'm just not very speedy. am working on it though.

honestly, i cannot have felt better about this first HIM experience. i was terrified going into it not knowing what to expect, if my fitness level was on par or if i could actually do the distance. and to have done it as comfortably as i did, is something that i'm very proud of. my only goal for CD'A in june is to be comfortable. i do NOT want to be miserable at all and this was excellent practice for that!!!


keith is the man. he puts on a heck of a race. it was organized. it was safe. it was well manned at the aid stations. there was plenty to feed off of at the aid stations. just awesome. the guy is incredible and i would recommend one of his races to anyone. loved it.